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UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 

Agricultural  Experiment  Station. 

URBANA,  JANUARY,  1901. 


BULLETIN    No.  61. 


THE  FARMER'S  VEGETABLE  GARDEN. 


BY  JOHN  W.  LLOYD,  B.S.A.,  INSTRUCTOR  IN  HORTICULTURE. 


The  farmer's  garden  differs  from  that  of  the  market  gardener 
in  that  its  purpose  is  to  furnish  a  continuous  supply  of  vegetables 
for  the  owner's  table  rather  than  to  supply  the  market  with  those 
vegetables  on  which  the  most  profit  can  be  realized.  In  fact,  the 
farmer  usually  should  not  consider  the  matter  of  profit  and  loss  in 
connection  with  each  particular  garden  crop.  He  should  grow  the 
vegetables  he  likes  and  make  sure  of  having  an  ample  supply,  even 
if  some  surplus  may  go  to  waste. 

Since  the  market  gardener  grows  his  vegetables  to  sell,  earli- 
ness,  productiveness,  and  shipping  qualities  are  of  more  importance 
to  him  than  are  the  eating  qualities  of  his  products.  With  him  a 
difference  of  three  or  four  days  in  the  time  of  ripening  of  a  crop  of 
peas  or  sweet  corn  may  mean  the  difference  between  a  handsome 
profit  and  a  dead  loss.  With  the  farmer  it  is  not  so.  He  grows  the 
vegetables  for  his  own  use,  and  quality  should  be  of  more  import- 
ance to  him  than  mere  earliness  or  productiveness.  He  may  make 
small  plantings  of  extremely  early  varieties  to  supply  his  table  at 
the  beginning  of  the  season,  but  his  main  plantings  should  be  of 
varieties  noted  for  their  fine  quality. 

The  farmer's  garden  will  differ  from  that  of  the  man  who  lives 
in  town  in  its  size,  arrangement,  and  method  of  cultivation.  The 
city  man  will  usually  have  to  confine  his  garden  to  a  small  area, 


2  BULLETIN  NO.  61.  [January, 

plant  it  in  a  manner  to  economize  space,  and  work  it  almost  entire- 
ly with  hand  tools.  The  farmer  has  plenty  of  land,  and  should 
manage  his  garden  with  a  view  to  economizing-  time  rather  than 
space.  To  this  end,  he  should  plant  his  vegetables  in  long  rows 
far  enough  apart  to  admit  of  cultivation  with  a  horse. 

In  order  to  secure  data  regarding  the  amount  of  labor  involved 
in  the  care  of  a  garden,  and  the  amount  of  produce  it  would  yield, 
a  "farmer's  garden"  was  planted  upon  the  grounds  of  the  horti- 
cultural department  of  the  University  of  Illinois  last  spring,  and 
was  managed  with  a  view  to  furnishing  a  continuous  supply  of 
vegetables  throughout  the  season.  The  following  pages  are  devot- 
ed chiefly  to  an  account  of  this  garden. 

PURCHASE  OF  SEEDS. 

In  planning  for  a  garden,  one  of  the  first  things  is  to  select 
and  procure  the  seeds  necessary  for  its  planting.  It  is  usually 
more  satisfactory  to  select  these  from  the  catalog  of  some  reliable 
seedsman  and  order  by  mail  than  to  depend  upon  the  stock  usually 
carried  in  the  country  store.  In  the  selection  of  varieties  due  con- 
sideration should  be  given  to  the  matter  of  securing  a  succession  of 
the  same  vegetable  for  a  longer  time  than  one  planting  of  one  var- 
iety will  provide.  The  two  methods  of  securing  a  succession  in  the 
case  of  vegetables  having  a  short  period  of  edibility  are  (1)  plant- 
ing varieties  of  different  degrees  of  earliness,  and  (2)  planting  the 
same  variety  at  different  times.  The  greater  the  number  of  vari- 
eties planted,  the  greater  will  be  the  expense  for  seed.  The  fewer 
the  number  of  varieties,  the  greater  the  number  of  plantings  which 
it  will  be  necessary  to  make  in  order  to  secure  the  desired  succes- 
sion. A  combination  of  the  two  methods  will  Usually  be  found  the 
most  satisfactory.  This  combination  method  was  the  one  decided 
upon  for  the  farmer's  garden  upon  the  horticultural  grounds,  and 
the  following  bill  of  seeds,  etc.,  was  ordered  from  one  of  the  lead- 
ing seedsmen  of  Chicago. 

100  one-year-old  asparagus  roots,  Barr's  mammoth $  .60 

I  pkt.  rhubarb  seed,  Myatt's  Victoria 05 

30  horse-radish  sets 10 

pt.  onion  sets,  Egytian  or  perennial  tree 15 

qt.  onion  sets,  yellow  bottom 20 

pt.  beans,  stringless  green  pod 15 

pt.  beans,  saddleback  wax ...        .15 

pt.  beans,  Henderson's  bush  lima 15 

oz.  beets,  Crosby's  Egyptian lo 

oz.  beets,  long  smooth  blood 05 

pkt.  cabbage,  select  Jersey  Wakefield io 


4  BULLKTIN    NO.    6l.  \JiUlUiiry, 

i  pkt.  cabbage,  all  head  early , 10 

I  pkt.  cabbage,  autumn  king 05 

i  pkt.  cauliflower,  Vaughan's  snowball 25 

i  pkt.  carrot,  early  scarlet  horn 05 

i  pkt.  carrot,  select  Danvers 10 

i  pkt.  celery,  giant  pascal 05 

i  pkt.  cress,  curled  garden 05 

l/2  pt.  sweet  corn,  mammoth  white  Cory 06 

Yz  pt.  sweet  corn,  Chicago  market .06 

l/2  pt.  sweet  corn,  Stowell's  evergreen 06 

Y2  pt.  sweet  corn,  country  gentleman 06 

i  oz.  cucumber,  the  emerald 10 

i  pkt.  lettuce,  improved  Hanson 05 

i  oz.  muskmelon,  emerald  gem 10 

i  oz.  muskmelon,  champion  market 10 

i  oz.  watermelon,  Cole's  early 10 

i  oz.  watermelon,  Mclver's  sugar 15 

i  oz.  onion,  Australian  brown 20 

i  oz.  onion,  extra  early  flat  red 10 

i  oz.  parsnip,  improved  Guernsey 10 

i  pkt.  parsley,  champion  moss  curled 05 

i  qt.  peas,  Nott's  excelsior 25 

i  qt.  peasi  Hosford's  market  garden 25 

i  qt.  peas,  improved  stratagem 25 

i  pkt.  pepper,  ruby  king 05 

i  oz.  radish,  brightest  long  scarlet 10 

i  oz.  radish,  earliest  white 15 

i  oz.  radish,  Cincinnati  market 10 

i  oz.  radish,  new  white  Chinese  (winter) 10 

i  oz.  spinach,  long  standing 05 

i  pkt.  salsify,  Sandwich  Island  mammoth 05 

1  pkt.  squash,  summer  crookneck 05 

2  oz.  squash,  Chicago  warted  Hubbard 15 

i  pkt.  tomato,  stone 10 

i  oz.  turnip,  purple  top  strap  leaf 06 

Total $545 

No  seed  potatoes  were  purchased  because  there  were  plenty  in 
the  cellar  available  for  the  purpose.  The  fanner  should  usuall}7 
save  his  own  seed  potatoes  and  perhaps  the  seed  of  a  few  other 
vegetables,  but  in  the  case  of  most  of  the  garden  crops  it  is  cheaper 
to  buy  the  seed  than  to  raise,  harvest,  cure,  and  clean  it.  And, 
furthermore,  better  results  can  usually  be  secured  from  seed  grown 
by  men  who  make  a  business  of  seed-growing  than  from  home  grown 
stock. 

LOCATION  AND  SOIL. 

The  garden  should  be  located  near  the  house  so  that  it  will  not 
be  necessary  to  walk  half  a  mile  to  get  a  head  of  lettuce  for  break- 


I90I.J 


THE    FARMER  S   VEGETABLE   GARDEN. 


fast,  or  a  dozen  roasting-  ears  for  dinner,  or  a  few  tomatoes  for  sup- 
per. To  be  at  their  best,  most  vegetables  should  be  used  very  soon 
after  they  are  gathered.  The  garden  will  be  appreciated  most  if 
it  is  not  far  from  the  kitchen,  not  only  because  the  vegetables  may 
be  used  fresher,  but  also  because  the  products  of  the  garden  will 
enter  more  largely  into  the  daily  bill  of  fare,  if  they  are  within 
easy  reach. 

The  soil  for  the  garden  should  be  rich  and  in  a  high  state  of 
cultivation.  The  ground  selected  for  the  garden  of  the  horticul-  , 
tural  department  was  one-half  acre  of  black  prairie  soil.  This  area 
was  naturally  a  little  low,  but  had  been  thoroughly  tile-drained 
and  plowed  the  preceding  fall,  and  was  therefore  well  suited  to  the 
growing  of  vegetables.  In  shape  it  was  a  long  rectangle,  being  280 
feet  long  and  77  feet  wide. 

PREPARATION  OF  THE  SOIL  FOR  PLANTING. 

Early  in  the  spring  twenty  loads  of  partially  rotted  manure 
were  applied  to  the  half  acre,  and  on  April  7th,  when  the  soil  had 
become  just  dry  enough  to  crumble  readily  without  sticking  to  the 


SLED  MARKER. 

hand,   the  land  was  plowed,  disked,    and  planked.     April  9th,  it 
was  harrowed  and  again  planked.     This  treatment  brought  the  soil 


6  BULLETIN  NO.  61.  [January, 

into  excellent  condition  for  the  reception  of  seeds,  without  the  use 
of  a  single  hand  tool. 

Beginning-  at  the  east  side  of  the  garden,  rows  three  feet  apart, 
running  lengthwise  of  the  area,  were  laid  out  by  means  of  a  sled 
marker  drawn  by  hand.  If  a  guide  stake  is  placed  at  each  end  of 
the  row  to  be  laid  out,  and  one  in  the  middle,  it  is  easy  to  mark  the 
rows  as  straight  as  they  could  be  made  by  the  use  of  a  line,  and  with 
much  less  trouble.  Three  rows  were  marked  at  a  time,  and  the 
drills  made  by  the  runners  were  of  just  the  right  depth  for  the 
planting  of  radishes,  beets,  onions,  and  other  small  seeds.  Where 
these  small  seeds  were  to  be  planted  the  rows  were  made  only  one 
and  a  half  feet  apart,  by  straddling  the  marks  already  made.  For 
planting  the  asparagus  roots  and  the  potatoes,  furrows  were  opened 
with  a  one-horse  plow,  and  for  the  peas,  with  the  plow  attachment 
on  a  wheel  hoe. 

So  far  as  possible  each  vegetable  not  needing  a  full  row  (280  ft.) 
was  given  one-half,  one-third,  or  one-sixth  of  a  row.  Conspicuous, 
stakes  were  set  at  the  proper  places  on  either  side  of  the  area  so 
that  any  given  row  in  the  garden  could  be  divided  into  halves, 
thirds,  or  sixths  by  simply  sighting  across  the  stakes. 

PLANTING. 

Beginning  at  the  north  end  of  the  east  row  (three  feet  from 
the  east  boundary)  the  following  vegetables  were  planted  April  9th. 

Row  I. — y?.  row  asparagas,  \  row  perennial   onions,  \  row  horse-radish  sets,  \  row 

rhubarb. 

Row  2. — Yz  row  parsnips,  J  row  parsley,  l/3  row  salsify. 
Row  3.—^  row  onion  sets,  20  ft.  cress,  \  row  lettuce,  y2  row  spinach. 
Row  4  — Onions:  %  row  extra  early  red,  %  row  Australian  brown. 
Row  5. — Y^  row  early  beets,  %  row  early  carrots. 
Row  6.— Left  to  be  planted  with  late  beets  and  carrots. 
Row  7.— Peas:    Ys  row  Noll's  excelsior,    %  row  Hosford's  market  garden,    '/j  row 

improved  stratagem.  , 

Rows  8  and  9. — Early  potatoes. 

Radishes  were  planted  with  the  parsnips,  parsley,  salsify,  onions, 
beets,  and  carrots  to  mark  the  rows  so  that  cultivation  could  begin 
before  the  plants  from  the  slower  germinating  seeds  became  visible. 

All  seed  was  dropped  by  hand.  The  small  seeds  were  covered 
by  means  of  a  rake,  and  then  the  soil  firmed  over  them  with  the  back 
of  a  hoe  or  the  ball  of  the  foot.  The  wheel  hoe  was  used  to  cover 
the  peas,  and  the  one-horse  plow,  the  potatoes. 


igot.j  TIIK  FARMER'S  VEGETABLE  GARDEN.  7 

Planting1  was  resumed  on  May  1st,  and  the  following1  vegetables 
put  in. 

Row    6.  -  Yz  row  late  beets,  y2  row  late  carrots. 

Row  10.  -85   Wakefield  cabbage  and  19  cauliflower  plants  (%  row),  l/$  row  all 

head  cabbage  (seed  sown). 
Row  n. — Beans:    %  row  Henderson's  bush  lima,    X  row  stringless  green  pod,  X 

row  saddleback  wax. 
Row  12.  — %  row  autumn  king  cabbage  (seed  sown),  \  rowspinach.J  row  radish;  — 

the  spinach  and  radishes  to  be  followed  by  cauliflower  set  later. 
Row  13.     Peas:  X  row  °f  each  variety  as  before. 
Row  14. — Left  for  tomatoes  and  peppers. 
Row  15. — Sweet  corn:  %  row  mammoth  white  Cory,  y2  row  Chicago  market. 

Radishes  were  planted  with  the  beets  and  carrots  as  before. 

May  23d,  the  unplanted  area  west  of  row  15  was  harrowed, 
and  the  balance  of  the  garden  planted.  Twelve  pepper  and  69 
tomato  plants  were  set  in  row  14.  These  plants  were  grown  in  a 
hotbed,  as  were  also  the  cabbage  and  cauliflower  plants  set  out 
May  1st.  If  no  hotbed  had  been  available,  they  could  have  been 
grown  in  boxes  in  the  house.  Rows  16  and  17  were  planted  to  sweet 
corn,  Y?.  row  each  of  the  four  varieties.  The  rest  of  the  garden,  com- 
prising1 rows  18  to  22  inclusive,  was  devoted  to  vine  crops.  The 
rows  were  made  six  feet  apart,  and  the  hills  six  feet  apart  for  the 
cucumbers,  summer  squash,  and  muskmelons,  and  eight  feet  apart  for 
the  winter  squash  and  watermelons.  No  special  preparation  was 
given  the  hills,  in  the  way  of  fertilizer,  compost  or  manure.  The 
seeds  were  simply  planted  in  the  ground  the  same  as  corn  or  beans 
would  have  been.  Better  results  would  probably  have  been  secured  if 
compost  had  been  used,  and  special  fertilizing  of  some  kind  would 
have  been  necessary  if  the  land  had  not  been  fairly  rich;  but  the 
results  obtained  will  indicate  what  can  be  done  without  an  undue 
amount  of  labor  at  planting  time.  The  plantation  consisted  of 
40  hills  of  cucumbers,  10  of  summer  squash,  30  of  winter  squash,  50 
of  watermelons  (25  each  of  the  two  kinds)  and  80  of  muskmelons. 

It  may  seem  to  some  that  an  undue  proportion  of  the  garden 
was  planted  to  melons;  but  a  melon  patch  to  be  worthy  of  the  name 
should  be  large  enough  to  furnish  all  the  melons  the  family  and  the 
hired  men  can  eat,  and  leave  plenty  to  give  to  the  neighbors'  boys. 
If  a  person  is  stingy  with  his  melons,  the  boys  are  likely  to  help 
themselves.  If  they  know  they  will  be  treated  to  melons  if  they  call 
at  the  house,  there  is  little  danger  of  trouble  in  the  patch  at  night. 

The  arrangement  of  the  garden  is  shown  in  the  accompaning 
diagram.  It  will  be  observed  that,  with  the  exception  of  rows  2  to 
6  the  whole  garden  was  planted  in  rows  far  enough  apart  to  admit 
of  horse-cultivation.  The  perennial  crops  and  those  to  be  left  in 


BULLETIN  NO.  61.  [January, 

the  ground  over  winter  were  together  and  at  one  edge  of  the  gard- 
en, so  that  they  would  not  interfere  with  the  preparation  of  the 
land  for  the  next  year's  planting.  The  crops  were  arranged  near- 
ly in  the  order  of  planting,  so  that  the  unplanted  portion  could  be 
harrowed  and  thus  easily  kept  in  fine  condition  until  it  was  needed 
for  planting.  The  early  maturing  vegetables  were  planted  in 
rows  either  alternating  with  those  of  later  crops,  or  grouped  so 
that  when  the  early  crops  were  harvested,  the  land  could  be  cleared 
and  a  second  crop  put  in. 

CULTIVATION. 

As  soon  as  the  plants  were  up  so  that  the  rows  could  be  easily 
seen,  cultivation  was  started.  A  one-horse  cultivator  with  very 
narrow  teeth  was  used,  and  was  found  to  be  just  the  tool  for  work 


NARROW-TOOTH  CULTIVATOR. 

among  small  plants,  since  it  could  be  run  very  close  to  the  row 
without  destroying  the  plants  by  uprooting  them  or  covering  them 
with  dirt.  The  soil  was  stirred  with  this  tool  as  often  as  was 
necessary  to  keep  the  weeds  in  check  and  the  top  soil  loose  and 
open.  Cultivation  usually  took  place  as  soon  as  the  soil  was  suffici- 
ently dry  after  each  heavy  rain,  and  was  continued  throughout  the 
season  wherever  the  growth  of  the  plants  did  not  prevent  it.  Most 
of  the  vegetables  in  the  garden  were  cultivated  as  many  as  six 
times. 

Considerable  hand  howing  was  done  between  the  narrow 
planted  rows,  and  close  about  the  plants  in  the  case  of  cabbage, 
tomatoes,  melons,  etc.  In  fact,  the  whole  garden  was  kept  in  a 
high  state  of  cultivation  regardless  of  the  amount  of  time  required, 
although  the  latter  was  carefully  noted  and  charged  against  the 
garden. 


igoi.] 


THE  FARMER'S  VEGETABLE  GARDEN. 

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io  iiULLEtiN  NO.  61.  [January, 

Weeding-  also  was  necessary,  as  it  is  in  every  garden,  to  some 
extent  at  least.  All  the  smaller  growing-  plants,  such  as  parsnips, 
beets,  carrots,  onions,  etc.,  were  weeded  once,  while  yet  quite  small; 
and  somewhat  later  they  were  thinned. 

THE  FIGHT  WITH  THE  STRIPED  BEETLE. 

Everything  went  smoothly  until  the  cucumbers,  squashes,  and 
melons  began  to  appear  above  the  ground, — and  then  the  striped 
cucumber  beetles  came  out  in  full  force  and  proceeded  to  devour 
the  patch.  Paris  green  was  applied  by  means  of  a  dry  powder 
gun,  while  the  plants  were  wet  with  rain.  It  killed  a  good  many 
of  the  beetles,  but  the  plants  soon  began  to  show  signs  of  injury, 
and  within  a  few  days  it  became  necessary  to  replant  nearly  the 
whole  patch.  Later  on,  air  slaked  lime  containing  a  little  turpen- 
tine was  applied  to  the  plants  when  the  beetles  appeared;  and  it 
seemed  to  be  at  least  partially  effective  in  protecting  the  plants. 
Toward  the  end  of  June,  when  the  beetles  became  exceedingly 
aggressive  in  their  attacks,  spraying  with  Bordeaux  mixture  was 
resorted  to,  and  it  seemed  to  be  the  most  efficient  remedy  tried. 
This  mixture,  composed  of  four  pounds  of  lime  and  four  of  copper 
sulphate  (blue  vitriol)  to  fifty  gfallons  of  water,  is  primarily  a 
fungicide,  but  it  seems  either  to  kill  or  drive  away  the  striped 
beetles  better  than  do  the  usual  insecticides. 

OTHER  INSECTS. 

Few  insects  besides  the  striped  beetle  caused  any  very  serious 
trouble.  The  cut  worms  nipped  off  a  few  newly  transplanted 
cabbage  plants,  but  were  dug  from  their  hiding  places  beside  the 
destroyed  plants,  and  killed.  Cabbage  worms  were  somewhat 
troublesome,  especially  on  the  late  cabbage,  but  succumbed  to  two 
doses  of  hellebore  mixed  in  water  at  the  rate  of  one  ounce  to  a  gallon, 
and  sprayed  on  the  plants.  The  mixture  was  made  stronger  than 
usual  because  the  hellebore  was  not  very  fresh.  Squash  bugs 
became  numerous  late  in  the  season  and  were  at  least  partially 
responsible  for  the  almost  total  failure  of  the  winter  squash  crop. 
Potato  beetles  were  very  scarce  and  it  was  unnecessary  to  spray  the 
potatoes  at  all.  A  few  tomato  worms  appeared,  but  were  picked  off 
and  killed  before  serious  damage  was  done. 

TRAINING  TOMATOES. 

After  the  tomatoes  had  become  well  established  and  were  begin- 
ning to  send  out  side  branches,  a  stake  six  feet  long  and  two  inches 
in  diameter  was  driven  firmly  into  the  ground  beside  each  plant. 
All  the  side  shoots  were  cut  off  and  the  main  stem  tied  to  the  stake. 


tgoi.]  THE  FARMER'S  VEGETABLE  GARDEN.  ii 

The  pruning-  and  tying-  were  repeated  as  often  as  was  necessary  in 
order  to  keep  the  plant  to  a  sing-le  stem  and  supported  by  the  stake. 
In  all,  the  plants  were  pruned  and  tied  four  times.  This  method  of 
training-  keeps  the  tomatoes  off  the  ground,  and  exposes  them  to  the 
sun  and  air  so  that  they  ripen  earlier  than  they  would  if  the  vines 
were  allowed  to  spread  over  the  ground.  The  crop  is  also  more 
easily  gathered,  and  in  an  unfavorable  season  there  would  be  less 
rotting-  of  the  fruit  than  in  the  case  of  untrained  vines,  where  con- 
siderable of  the  fruit  comes  in  contact  with  the  ground. 

LATE  CROPS. 

After  the  early  peas  were  picked  and  the  potatoes  dug,  the  land 
on  which  they  were  grown  was  cleared  of  vines,  plowed  with  a  one- 
horse  plow,  and  pulverized  by  means  of  the  narrow-tooth  cultivator 
and  a  one-horse  planker.  It  was  then  planted  to  late  crops  as  fol- 
lows: YT.  row  celery,  1^  rows  turnips,  y*  row  winter  radish,  ^  row 
spinach,  ^  row  lettuce.  This  was  on  July  23d.  On  the  same  day 
string  beans  were  planted  in  the  space  previously  occupied  by  the 
early  planting  of  the  same  crop.  This  half  row  was  not  replowed; 
the  old  vines  were  simply  hoed  off  and  the  ground  hoed  over.  A 
few  cucumbers  for  pickles  were  also  planted  in  the  vacant  spaces 
among  the  early  cucumbers. 

For  the  celery,  a  furrow  was  opened  with  the  one-horse  plow, 
and  the  plants  (which  had  been  grown  in  a  seed  bed)  were  set  in 
the  bottom  of  the  furrow.  A  few  days  after  the  plants  were  set,  a 
heavy  rain  washed  the  dirt  into  the  furrow  and  nearly  buried  them. 
The  earth  had  to  be  loosened  around  each  plant  by  means  of  a 
knife.  Not  many  days  later,  another  heavy  rain  necessitated  a  re- 
petition of  the  operation.  As  the  celery  grew,  the  furrow  was 
gradually  filled  up  by  means  of  the  cultivator  and  hoe.  When 
the  plants  were  about  a  foot  high,  they  were  "handled"  and  earthed 
up  for  blanching.  The  stalks  of  each  plant  were  drawn  close 
together  and  held  with  one  hand  while  earth  was  packed  about  the 
base  of  the  plant  with  the  other  hand.  Then  earth  was  drawn  up 
to  the  plant  with  a  hoe  until  only  the  tops  of  the  leaves  were  left 
exposed.  Two  weeks  later  it  was  necessary  to  again  bank  up  the 
plants,  since  they  had  grown  considerably  in  that  time.  It  was 
then  past  the  middle  of  October,  and  no  further  banking  was  neces- 
sary to  blanch  the  stalks. 

LABOR. 

An  accurate  account  was  kept  of  all  the  time  spent  in  prepar- 
ing the  land,  planting,  and  caring  for  the  garden.  The  time  spent 
in  harvesting  the  products  was  not  recorded,  for  in  practice,  vege- 


12 


BULLETIN   NO.   6l. 


[January, 


tables  would  be  gathered  from  one  to  three  times  a  day  as  they  were 
needed  at  the  kitchen,  and  usually  by  those  doing  the  kitchen  work, 


CELERY. 

so -that  aside  from  the  digging-  of  potatoes  and  harvesting  of  winter 
crops,  the  farmer  would  not  have  to  spend  much  time  in  gathering 
vegetables.  If  the  farmer  raises  the  vegetables,  his  wife  will 
usually  see  that  they  reach  the  table. 

The  following  is  a  summary  of  the  work  bestowed  upon  the 
garden.  The  item  "fighting  insects1'  includes  the  time  spent  in  re- 
planting where  the  insects  had  destroyed  the  plants. 


THE  FARMERS  VEGETABLE  GARDEN. 


LABOR  ON  FARMER'S  GARDEN,  igoo—HouRS. 


April. 

May. 

June. 

July. 

Aug. 

Sept. 

Oct. 

Total. 

Work  with  team:  — 
Hauling     and     spreading 
manure  

20 

20 

Plowing,  harrowing,  etc.. 

7 

# 

71A 

Total  team  work  

27 

& 

27  1A 

Work  with  one  horse:  — 
Cultivating  

iX 

A 

2M 

i 

i 

1A 

IO 

Fitting  land  for  planting- 

ilA 

lH 

Total  work  with  one  horse 

i"X 

4 

3% 

i 

i 

y* 

nH 

Hand  labor:  — 
Planting  

IO 

liV2 

H 

4 

i 

3*M 

Hoeing   and    other    hand 
tillage  

^ 

i~\lA 

17 

7 

•\ 

43M 

Weeding  and  thinning... 
Fighting  insects  

I 

7Y* 
*% 

u 

8 
Vz 

23^ 

6^ 

Training  tomatoes  

7 

I 

V& 

6V2 

Clearing  land  after  crops. 
Hand  work  on  celery  

I 
2 

2 

8 

3 

IO 

Total  hand  labor  

10 

27^ 

2QM 

25^ 

21 

3 

8 

124^ 

Estimating-  the  cost  of  labor  at  the  prices  ruling-  in  this  vicin- 
ity, the  total  cost  for  labor  on  the  garden  would  be: 

Team  work,  27}^  hrs.  at  $3.00  per  day,  $  8.25 

Work  with  one  horse,  11^  hrs.  at  $2  per  day,         2.30 
Hand  labor,  124>^  hrs.  at  $1.25  per  day,  15.56 


$26.11 


THE  HARVEST. 


The  first  products  of  the  g-arden  were  g-athered  on  May  12th, 
and  from  that  time  until  October  17th  (  when  the  first  killing  frost 
occurred  )  a  supply  of  veg-etables  was  brought  in  nearly  every  day. 
The  accompanying-  diagram  graphically  represents  the  succession 
of  veg-etables  as  they  were  gathered  throug-h  the  season.  Most  of 
the  vegetables  for  winter  use  were  harvested  October  16th  and  17th. 
They  ar£  not  included  in  the  diagram. 

All  of  the  vegetables  included  in  the  original  planting,  except 
the  cauliflowers  and  winter  squashes5  g-ave  satisfactory  results. 
The  climate  seemed  to  be  too  hot  for  the  cauliflowers  and  the  bugs 
too  active  for  the  squashes.  If  the  cauliflowers  had  been  set  out 
earlier,  it  is  possible  that  they  might  have  formed  heads  before  the 
excessively  hot  weather  came  on;  and  if  the  squashes  had  been 
started  on  inverted  sods  in  a  cold  frame  and  transplanted  when  eight 
inches  hig-h,  they  would  have  had  more  chance  against  the  bugs. 
This  method  was  successfully  employed  with  other  squashes  at  the 


BULLKT1N    NO.   6 1. 


[January, 


Radishes 

MAY 

JUNE 

JULY 

AUG. 

SEPT 

OCT. 

Cress  

Green  onions  

Lettuce  

_- 

Spinach  .  . 

Beet  greens  

Peas  

Early  beets  

Early  potatoes  

String  beans  

Cabbage  

Early  carrots  

Sweet  corn  

Tomatoes 

Summer  squash  



Muskmelons 

\Vatermelons 

DIAGRAM  SHOWING  SUCCESSION  OF  VEGETABLES. 

Station  grounds.  The  late  cauliflowers  also  were  a  failure,  and  it 
is  doubtful  if  they  could  have  been  brought  to  perfection  in  this 
climate  under  any  method  of  treatment. 

The  spinach  and  lettuce  planted  July  23d  failed  to  grow. 
The  turnips  did  well  until  about  the  first  of  September,  when  the 
hot  weather  caused  the  leaves  to  turn  yellow  at  the  tips,  and  finally 
die.  The  crop  was  almost  an  entire  failure. 

A  few  peas  planted  August  18th,  on  the  land  previously  occupied 
by  early  cabbage,  made  a  very  dwarf  but  healthy  growth,  and  pro- 
duced a  small  crop  early  in  October. 

Of  the  late  planted  vegetables,  the  celery,  winter  radishes, 
beans  and  cucumbers  produced  satisfactory  crops,  so  that  although 


THE  FARMERS  VEGETABLE  GARDEN. 


some  of  the  crops  failed,  the  late  planting-  as  a  whole  was  not  un- 
profitable.    , 

Below  is  a  summary  of  the  products  of  the  g-arden,  giving-  the 
time  during-  which  each  vegetable  was  used,  the  total  yield,  and  a 
conservative  estimate  of  the  value  of  the  crop  at  retail. 

PRODUCTS  OF  FARMER'S  GARDEN,  AND  THEIR  VALUE,  1900. 


Period  of  use. 

Total  product. 

Retail 
price. 

Value 
of  crop. 

Radishes    

May  12  to  June  14.  . 

60  doz  

?  cts. 

$3  oo 

Cress  

May  18  to  June  14.  . 

Supply    

Onions-- 
Green     

May  24  to  Aug.  18.  . 

14  doz  

:;  cts. 

.70 

Ripe 

After  Aug.  18  

2  bu. 

71;  cts. 

I     HO 

Lettuce  

May  29  to  June  25.  . 

12  baskets*  .  .  . 

10  cts. 

i  20 

Spinach    

May  31  to  June  22.  . 

qYz  baskets.  .  .  . 

10  cts. 

.OS 

Beet  greens  

June  5  to  June  16.  .  . 

2  baskets  

10  cts. 

.20 

Peas  

June  9  to  July  16  .  .  . 

23  pecks   

25  cts. 

5   7^ 

Early  beets   

June  13  to  July  25.  .. 

14  doz  

10  cts. 

1    dO 

Early  potatoes  

Tune  2T.  to  Tuly  21  .  . 

8#  bu  

75  cts. 

6.  io 

String  beans  — 
Early  

June  30  to  July  13  .  . 

8  pecks  

30  cts. 

2.40 

Late  

Sept.  18  to  Oct.  5   .  . 

3^  pecks  

30  cts. 

I    OS, 

Cabbage  — 
Wakefield    

June  30  to  Aug   18.  . 

65  heads  

3  cts. 

i  .0? 

Later  varieties  .    .  . 

Aug.  28  to  Oct.  16  .  . 

74  headst  

^  cts. 

2   22 

Early  carrots    

July  6  to  Oct.  16  

20^  doz  

5  cts. 

1  .02 

Sweet  corn  

July  ii  to  Sept.  i  ... 

72  doz  

to  cts. 

7.  2O 

Tomatoes  — 
Ripe    

July  27  to  Oct.  8  

6%  bu  

50  cts. 

3.38 

Green    

Oct.  8  

%  bu  

50  cts. 

."V7 

Lima  beans  — 
First  crop  

July  31  to  Aug.  ii  .. 

7X  pecks  

30  cts. 

2.  17 

Second  cropj  

Oct.  I  to  Oct.  17  

8^  pecks  

30  cts. 

2.63 

Peppers    . 

Julv  31  to  Oct.  8..  . 

6  pecks  

25  cts. 

I  .  SO 

Parsley   

Aug.  i  to  Nov.  i 

Ample  supply.. 

Summer  squash  

Aug.  3  to  Aug.  22.  .. 

44  

i#  cts. 

•  55 

Cucumbers  — 
Slicing    

Aug.  3  to  Sept.  5  .... 

197  

I       Ct. 

i  .97 

Pickles  

Sept.  5  to  Oct.  10.  .  . 

600  

1A  ct. 

i.  50 

Muskmelons  

Aug.  22  to  Oct.  4 

928  Ibs  

i^ct. 

n.Q2 

Watermelons 

Aug.  23  to  Oct.  4 

1408  Ibs  

%  ct. 

»J'V" 

io.  no 

Winter  squash  

After  Oct.  5  

i^y2  ibs  

i^ct. 

.29 

Late  beets 

After  Oct.  16. 

4  bu  

50  cts. 

2.OO 

Late  carrots 

After  Oct.  16 

2  bu  

50  cts. 

I  .OO 

Turnips  

After  Oct.  17  

i^bu  

50  cts. 

.25 

Parsnips  

After  Oct.  17  

2  bu  

50  cts. 

I.OO 

Salsify  

After  Oct.  17  

i  %  bu  

50  cts. 

.62 

Winter  radishes 

After  Oct.  17  

2  bu  

50  cts. 

1  .00 

Celery  .  .                       .    . 

After  Nfov.  5  

12  doz  

20  cts. 

2.40 

583.84 

*The  basket  used  was  a  ten-pound  climax  grape  basket,  and  was  crowded  as 
full  as  it  would  hold. 

fThe  cabbages  gathered  Oct.  i6th  and  stored  for  winter  are  included  in  this 
number. 

JAfter  the  first  crop  was  gathered,  the  plants  blossomed  again  and  produced 
he  second  crop. 


16  BULLETIN  NO.  61.  [January,  1901 

About  half  the  parsnips  and  half  the  salsify  were  dug-  and  the 
balance  of  the  crop  estimated.  All  root  crops  for  winter  use  were 
packed  in  boxes  of  dry  earth  and  placed  in  the  cellar.  When  stored 
in  this  manner  they  will  keep  until  late  in  the  spring-  without  any 
sign  of  wilting-.  The  cabbag-es  intended  for  midwinter  use  were 
cut  from  the  stalks  and  packed  in  a  similar  manner.  The  celery 
was  dug-  with  the  roots  on  and  set  uprig-ht  in  deep  boxes  having 
moist  earth  in  the  bottom.  It  was  then  placed  in  a  dark  cellar. 

DOES  IT  PAY? 

If  nothing-  is  charg-ed  for  the  use  of  the  land  nor  for  the  man- 
ure, the  total  cost  of  the  g-arden  may  be  summarized  as  follows: 
Seeds  and  plants,  $5.45;  insecticides,  $.50;  labor  (p.  13),  $26.11; 
total,  $32.06. 

In  return  for  this  expenditure  the  garden  furnished  a  contin- 
uous supply  of  fresh  vegetables  throug-bout  the  growing-  season, 
with  enoug-h  sweet  corn  for  drying,  tomatoes  for  canning-,  cucum- 
bers, peppers,  cabbage,  string-  beans  and  green  tomatoes  for  pickles, 
besides  onions,  beets,  carrots,  parsnips,  salsify,  winter  radishes, 
cabbage  and  celery  for  winter  use,  and  parsnips,  salsify  and  horse- 
radish left  in  the  ground  for  use  in  the  spring.  As  already  noted, 
these  vegetables  could  not  ordinarily  have  been  bought  at  retail  for 
less  than  $83.84.  This  leaves  a  balance  of  $51.78  in  favor  of  the 
g-arden.  What  other  half-acre  on  the  farm  would  pay  as  well? 

SUMMARY. 

1.  The  farmer  should  have  a  larg-e  g-arden  located  near  the 
house  and  planted  in  long-  rows  so  that  it  can  be  cultivated  with  a 
horse. 

2.  A  succession  of  the  same  veg-etable    may  be    secured  by 
planting  different  varieties  at  the  same  time,  or  the  same  variety 
at  different  times. 

3.  After  an  early  crop  is  harvested  a  later  crop  may  be  plant- 
ed upon  the  same  ground.     The  cultivation  of  the  late  crop  will 
keep  the  ground  free  from  weeds  which  might  otherwise  g-o  to  seed. 

4.  Cucumber  beetles  may  be  controlled  by  spraying-  with  Bor- 
deaux mixture,  and  cabbage  worms  by  spraying  with  white  helle- 
bore. 

5.  The  g-arden  should  furnish  a  full  supply  of  vegetables  for 
winter  use  as  well  as  a  continuous  succession  through  the  growing- 
season. 


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